DEVELOPMENT OF RAILWAY NETWORK IN THE POKUTTIA AND THE GALICIAN HUTSUL REGION IN THE LATE 19TH – EARLY 20TH CENTURIES (BASED ON MATERIALS FROM THE NEWSPAPER «DILO»)

Abstract

The article describes the development of railway network in the Pokuttia and the Galician Hutsul region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries based on materials discovered in the newspaper «Dilo». It is noted that the historical development of the region was significantly influenced by the technical progress of the 19th century, a characteristic feature of which was the appearance of railways, which marked a new era in the structure of transport and the economy in general. The government supported the construction of the railway, as this link in transport was seen as an important stabilizing factor in the far east of the monarchy and a manifestation of the center‟s concern for the outskirts.

The first Ukrainian daily newspaper «Dilo» paid a lot of attention to this aspect of the region‟s socio- economic development. Articles and notes from this newspaper indicate that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the railway network connected the most remote regions of the region, including the Pokuttia and the Galician Hutsul region, with each other and with the administrative centers of Galicia and the entire Austro- Hungarian monarchy. At the same time, as evidenced by some newspaper articles, there were some difficulties with the procedure for laying new tracks due to abuse by officials and the reluctance of villagers to transfer their land for railway construction.

Railway transport has become a kind of calling card of the constant struggle for the right of the Ukrainian language as a regional language to be reflected on railway tickets, signs and announcements in station premises, as well as in communication with cashiers, conductors and other railway employees. Such examples of the protection of the Ukrainian language could be seen at the railway stations of the settlements of the Pokuttia and the Galician Hutsul region, as was also indicated in articles in the newspaper «Dilo».

Natural disasters, bad weather, and infectious diseases hindered the qualitative development of the region‟s railway network. As evidenced by various articles in the newspaper «Dilo», significant damage was caused by floods and overflows of the Dniester, Prut, and Cheremosh rivers, which destroyed railway bridges and flooded railway stations and stations. The newspaper describes in detail the flood-caused railway accident of a passenger train between the village of Turka and the city of Kolomyia, which occurred on the night of June 27, 1897. The newspaper also published local railway accidents and disasters caused by overwork of railway workers, their insufficient professional level, unsatisfactory technical condition of rolling stock and tracks, and

speeding due to non-compliance with the traffic schedule. A vivid example of this was the railway disaster, described in detail in the newspaper «Dilo», which occurred on July 1, 1910 at the Loeva station near the town of Nadvirna.

Railway stations were the arteries for the departure of Galician Ukrainians to emigrate and work seasonally in neighboring countries in order to earn money and seek a better life in the future. Separate notes from the newspaper «Dilo» indicate that at the railway stations the of Pokuttia and the Galician Hutsul region, separate obstacles were created for the departure of Ukrainians. Among them are delays or simply failure to issue permits by local authorities, police bans on leaving their places of residence, cancellation of a 50 percent discount on train tickets for groups of at least 10 migrant workers, and restrictions on the departure of those liable for military service.